Editor's note: I'm way behind in updating my blog, so here is the 1st of 5 recent updates. This particular post was written in mid December 2012. Pictures will be added at a later date, since I'm having trouble downloading them from my camera.
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The
results from the Parc Trump in Stamford are in and can be found here.
I set a new course record at 2:40 and broke my old course record by 7 seconds!
Unfortunately, my new record did not stand long. Sproule Love - who started 30
seconds behind me - finished in 2:30. My new record stood for a total of 20
seconds. Sproule was just too fast!
Race day
started off early. I woke up at 5:00 AM and was out the door by 6:00 AM. The
drive was mostly uneventful, but there was a lot of fog on the Taconic Parkway
so I had to drive a bit cautiously.
I
arrived in Stamford just after 8:30 and rushed to get changed and checked in.
Knowing I was pressed for time, I immediately started my warm up routine. I did
a set of burpees right at check-in (at the SBC brewery), again at the coat
check (at the Parc Trump), and a third set while waiting at the start line. It wasn't my best warm-up, but it was much better than starting the race cold.
I met my
the other Tower Masters at the start line: Steve, Paul, & Napoleon. The
only person missing was Sproule; he was still in the stairwell warming up. I
also would have liked to have a few minutes in the stairwell, but with only a
few minutes to go, I wanted a couple minutes to calm down and relax.
Everyone
was quiet during the last minute before the start of the race. Then, as the
clock struck 9:00 AM, I entered the stairwell.
I
climbed into trouble as soon as I hit the first landing. I simply could not get
a firm grip on the railing and I had a very hard time turning the first few
corners. In fact, going around the first few turns, I caught myself from
tripping not once, but twice. I felt like a fish out of water! I had similar
problems last year (you can read about it here)
and this ascent wasn't any easier. Paraphrasing my blog from last year:
“The
Parc Trump is a very technical course (as far as stairwells go). With only 588 stairs covering 66 flights or
so, most flights have only 8 stairs between landings. Since the steps
themselves are relatively shallow (7 inches tall vs. the 7.5 inch norm) and
the race itself is pretty short, I was completing a turn once every 2.4
seconds. To make matters worse, the railing was hard to grip. The Parc Trump
uses an uncommon double railing system that has the upper railing situated too
high to grip comfortably and has the lower railing out of reach until you've completed the turn.”
Although
I had trouble with the turns, I pretty much nailed the pacing during the first
part of the race. I went out a smidgen faster than I had planned, but still
below my burnout point.
The
floors passed by quickly and by the 10th floor, I settled into an
awkward rhythm best described as “controlled chaos”. I stayed on the upper
inside rail as much as possible, but it was hard to get a good pull around the
corners.
By the
middle of the race, my heart rate was hitting the redline and it was getting
more difficult to climb. Since I was still feeling awkward in the stairwell, I
tried out a few different techniques. My first variation was to use the lower
rail rather than the upper rail. My
right shoulder was starting to ache because I had to reach up so high to grasp
the upper rail so using the lower rail provided some measure of relief. The
downside was that I couldn't get a good handhold going around the turns. Next,
I tried using both sides of the railing rather than just the inner railing, but
I abandoned this method after a couple floors. My arms were just a bit too
short to use both sides effectively and I felt that the flights were too short
to justify staying in the center of the staircase; as soon as I’d grip both
sides of the rails, I’d have to let go again to turn the corner. Finally, I
just decided to keep on the upper inner rail – shoulder pain be damned.
I wasn't at my best during the final third of the race. Although I was hurting, I wasn't in danger of having my legs give out. I should have sucked it up and gone
faster, but instead I just kept my current pace. Somewhere near the 30th
floor, a cameraman snapped a few pictures and the camera’s flash took me
off-guard. I stumbled around the turn and nearly face planted on the stairs. At
that point, any hope of winning fell away. I didn't have that competitive spark
and I just continued my current pace. I coasted up the last few flights of
stairs gasping for air. After crossing the finish line I stopped my watch.
2:41. It was definitely better than last year, but still about 10 seconds
slower than my goal.
At that
point, all I could do was wait for Sproule to arrive. After about 15 seconds of
waiting, I had held the faintest hope of winning the race, but moments later I
could hear cheering in the stairwell. I knew it was going to be close. When
Sproule finally arrived, I glanced down at my watch again. It had passed the
three minute mark, but not by much. Assuming he started exactly 30 seconds
behind it meant he had made up 5-10 seconds in the stairwell. But then I heard
one of the time keepers indicate that Sproule unofficially made it up in 2:15
or so. I was in awe.
After
recovering for a minute or so, Sproule and I waited for the rest of our
teammates to finish. Once everyone had recovered somewhat, we took the elevator
down to the 7th floor to relax and chat. We also wished Napoleon
luck since he registered the day of the race and wouldn't climb until well
after 10:00 AM.
After
Napoleon’s race we all headed to the SBC brewery to wait for the awards
ceremony and get a bite to eat. As people were leaving, I snuck back into the
stairwell to take a few measurements and map out the course. Below is a short summary of the stairwell. As you can see, the published course information isn't accurate.
Total Steps: 551 (vs. 588 published)
Step Height: 6.75 inches
Course Height: 94.5 meters
Up to floor 7, the stairs turn to the left, and are mostly laid out in an 8/8 configuration. Up until floor 22, the stairs turn to the right continuing the 8/8 pattern. The last section continues turning to the right in a mostly 9/8 configuration. The course ends at the 34 floor (top). The course seems to be missing floors 13 and 23.
Keep in mind, I did not double check my work, so my step count might be a little off.
The best
part of the race was getting to hang out with Steve, Paul, Sproule, Napoleon,
& Jamie. I really like stair climbing, but I rarely get a chance to
actually talk about it. I love hearing stories about epic battles up the Empire
State Building and getting training tips from stair climbing veterans. Even
though we had to wait until 11:30 to get our official times, it was an easy
wait.
Checking
the final times, I was relieved to know that I was only 10 seconds behind
Sproule! Up until that point, I was worried the gap was more like 20-25
seconds. Ten seconds is within striking distance given enough training,
discipline, and a bit of luck. But if the gap was 20 seconds… well, I might as
well just give up give up the chase.
The
other Tower Masters also had a fine showing. Napoleon grabbed a podium spot.
Steve set a personal best. Paul, our team’s rookie, had a solid first climb.
Last but not least, Sproule set a new course record!
Unfortunately,
we missed out on the team award because one of our team member’s didn't get
added to the roster; I signed most of our team members the day of the race, so
I’m sure the paperwork got lost in the pre-race shuffle. Instead, the team
award went to the Connecticut Healthcare
Stair Runners. They are a good group of climbers that David Tromp & I
teamed up with at the Hartford climb.
This
poses a very good question. Should we be upset that we lost the team award
because of an administrative error? Or should the Tower Masters be competing
for the team award at all?
On one
hand, we've put a lot of effort into training and deserve the recognition. But
on the other hand, our Tower Masters team had a huge advantage. We’re mainly
comprised of folks who know each other through the competitive stair climbing
circuit. How could another team compete with us when we've poached all the best
climbers? It brings to mind an episode of Seinfeld where Kramer beats up a
bunch kids at a karate school. I dearly love helping my Tower Masters win
races, but at the same time it is hard to be proud of beating up a bunch of
kids.
Last but
not least, here is my post-race analysis:
Grades:
Strategy= A-; Exertion = B-; Technique = C-; Overall = B-;
·
Sproule
beat me on three different fronts:
1)
He
was better prepared mentally. He had his game face on at the start line. No
idle chit-chat; he was just focused on the upcoming race.
2)
He
was better prepared for tackling the stairwell. He came to the race early and
spent some time checking it out.
3)
He
was better prepared physically (big surprise!)
·
I
need to get into the stairwell the next time I race at Stamford. I had a hard time
with the rails and I need to figure out how to take the turns faster. I imagine
that is where I lost most of my time. Oddly enough, I said the same thing in my
blog last year. I should have taken my own advice! Getting to the race early
will also help me get mentally prepared; driving fast in heavy fog to avoid
being late certainly didn't help my nerves.
·
The
best part of the race was listening to everyone’s opinion about training.
1)
Sproule
recommended mixing up my training. The only way to grow is to force your body
to adapt. He also recommends pushing yourself well into the suffering zone. You
have to be a bit masochistic to do this sport.
2)
Napoleon
recommends incorporating heavy weights (especially leg raises) to help prevent
injury. Since most of my leg exercises are done using low weights with high
reps, I might be at risk of getting an overuse injury. After all, low weight,
high rep squats/lunges are pretty similar to climbing stairs, something that I
do quite frequently. Heavy weights will help mix up my routine and have the
added benefit of protecting my knees (by strengthening the muscles direct
around the knees).
3)
Steve
always recommends running J.
This time I might listen since the ESBRU requires a fair amount of running.
·
Recently, I've been having problems getting enough sleep. I've been getting a little over
7 hours, but I need about 8. I forced
myself to go to sleep early for a couple nights prior to the race and I felt
considerably recharged on race day morning.
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